Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd

Zamtec Limited

Nagesh Ramachandra

Kia Silverbrook

Jan Waszczuk

Paul Timothy Sharp

Akira Nakazawa

Garry Raymond Jackson

Norman Micheal Berry

Christopher Hibbard

Samuel George Mallinson

John Douglas Peter Morgan

Brian Robert Brown

Simon Fielder

Michael John Hudson

Paul Justin Reichl

Jennifer Mia Fishburn

Susan Williams

Paul Andrew Papworth

A printer is provided having a printhead assembly having a carrier frame, a pagewidth printhead with a corresponding pagewidth print zone defined by a plane adjacent the printhead assembly mounted at a base of the carrier frame, an approach guide mounted to the carrier frame on a first side of the printhead and an exit guide mounted to the carrier frame on a second side of the printhead, and a feed mechanism for continuously feeding a web of print media through the print zone. The web is unsupported in the print zone and is guided therethrough by the guides. The approach guide curves about the carrier frame base to terminate upstream with a leading angular edge abutting with the web such that the natural path of the web is deflected downwards and around the approach guide, and the exit guide curves about the carrier frame base to terminate downstream.

Printer having guided print zone

A feed mechanism for a wide format printer is provided having a supply spool for supplying media web to a printhead, a take-up spool for receiving the web after printing, a take-up motor connected to the take-up spool, a take-up control system for controlling the take-up motor torque, a drive roller system positioned between the supply and take-up spools, a drive motor connected to the drive roller system, and a braking motor connected to the supply spool for generating tension in the web between the supply spool and the drive roller system. The take-up, drive and braking motors are separate motors and are separately connected to the take-up spool, drive roller system and supply spool, respectively. The web fed from the drive roller system to the take-up spool is maintained under substantially constant tension by regulating the torque of the take-up motor using the take-up control system.

Feed mechanism for wide format printer

A method of fabricating an apertured polymeric film. The method comprising the steps of: (a) masking a polymeric film with a first mask having first laser transmission zones defined therein; (b) laser-ablating first apertures through the polymeric film using the first mask; (c) masking the film with a second mask having second laser transmission zones defined therein, each second zone being aligned with a corresponding first aperture, and each second zone having greater perimeter dimensions than the corresponding first aperture; and (d) reaming the first apertures by laser-ablating the polymeric film using the second mask, the reamed first apertures defining second apertures in the film.

Double laser drilling of a printhead integrated circuit attachment film

A method of fabricating a film for attachment of one or more printhead integrated circuits to an ink supply manifold is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing an adhesive polymeric film having a protective liner; (b) depositing photoresist onto the protective liner; (c) photopatterning the photoresist to define a plurality of openings positioned for etching supply holes through the film; (d) etching the plurality of ink supply holes through the film, the photoresist acting as a mask for the etch; and (e) removing the protective liner having the photoresist deposited thereon.

Method of fabricating a printhead integrated circuit attachment film

A wide format printer having an alternative print zone arrangement is provided. The printer comprises a printhead having a corresponding print zone, the print zone being defined by a plane adjacent the printhead, and a feed mechanism for continuously feeding a web of print media through the print zone. The printer is characterized in that the web is unsupported in the print zone, which obviates the need for a platen and advantageously maintains a constant distance between the printhead and the web.

Wide format printer having alternative print zone arrangement

A spool, such as supply for a wide-format printer, is provided. The spool comprises a spindle for slidingly receiving an outer shaft, which is typically the core of a roll of print media. A first resiliently deformable gripping ring is circumferentially mounted about the spindle, and a compression mechanism is provided for axially compressing the gripping ring. The axial compression causes radial expansion of the gripping ring, thereby urging the gripping ring into gripping engagement with the outer shaft received on the spindle.

Spool adapted for gripping a roll of print media

Growing community of inventors

Balmain, Australia

Nagesh Ramachandra